Month: January 2012

    Toilet Paper

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    OK! where do you find the best deal on toilet paper?? I am asking and wanting answers. Costco? Walmart? what brand?

    TP

    We have been a very moderate using toilet paper family BUT now that Cali uses the toilet we seem to be flying through the paper product. Like all 3 bathrooms are always out. She is such a big girl that she insists on doing the toilet paper herself. Anyway, If I am going to be buying triple the amount of toilet paper then I am going to need to be more conscious of what it is costing and getting a good deal. (I will never go the route of homemade cloth toilet paper that I really did see a show about last week – biggest cheapskates or something like that) But girls are obviously more in need of toilet paper and my girls are starting to grow up so again I ask – – what is the best TP deal out there??

    and some cute pictures of the toilet paper crisis culprit…

    my big 3 year old

    Cali loves to sing and Dance these days - so cute.

    and she still loves to do the "Spirit Cheer Leading Cheer"

    This girl has personality.

    Categories: Cali, General

    TUESDAY SNOW DAY

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    We finally got some snow! The kids have been making snowmen and snowflakes at school in hopes of snow and we finally got an inch or two! so we took that inch or 2 and had a fun few hours. We had snow ball fights and tried out their sled at ‘the corner’. We are ready for more snow, some real sledding, and we didn’t get to make a snowman. (Rose and Ben were in the house napping.)

    Benji was busy throwing snow balls at me so I couldn't get a good picture of him in action.

    Packer trying to figure out the snowball launcher.

    Cali loved the snow - I don't think she has any recollection of playing in it before.

    Categories: Benji, Cali, Packer

    Netty News

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    Cali weighs 33 pounds.

    Packer weighs 35 pounds.

    Jana weighs 10 pounds more than previous birthing weights 🙁

    Rose Can Walk! (already blogged that but it is SO cute)

    Benji and Packer had their first Shower! (already blogged that too)

    FINALLY had our first snow day! (will blog that soon)

    Ben has been sick FOREVER, last week just fending off the sickness and this week in bed with Bronchitis – I don’t like having a sick husband.

    Cali kept her same panties on all day today and the day before! I’m tempted to say she IS trained!

    Benji’s teacher had lots of good things to say about him at his Parent Teacher conference this week… so I let him get a Pokemon book at the book fair on the way out.

    I am really liking the TV series “Revenge” – it makes it hard to sleep at night but I just got to know what happens next. “Alcatraz” also seems promising.

    Packer has become OBSESSED with Plants Vs Zombies on the computer, he is getting really good at it and will play all day if I let him.

    I woke up Tuesday morning at 6am with cramps in both calves – KILLER cramps. Of course it was the one night that I slept downstairs because I don’t want Bronchitis – so I was alone and couldn’t get any help or sympathy. My legs have been aching all week. YEs, this is the 9th month!

    We are looking for a bigger van… Anyone have a killer deal on a 8 to 12 passenger vehicle?? 🙂

    Tonight Ben and I got to go to a party to say goodbye to Andy. It was just what I needed after a long week. Those few hours of not hearing the name Mom called out were very relaxing and energizing, add yummy food, lots of family and Wally Ball and it was perfect.

    Categories: General

    The 3rd Bathroom

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    One of the things on my TO DO BEFORE BABY LIST was to get our new downstairs bathroom completely finished. Ryan did most of it and it was usable before he moved out in November but there were just a few final touches that had been put on the back burner until this last week. I went in and did the touch up paint and the trim paint and the caulking. We bought and hung some cabinets and then moved the tread mill in and finally I was able to unload the box of laundry room supplies into the new cupboards!!

    I LOVE THAT IT IS FINISHED AND I LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT. Home Improvements are the best! not during the project but once you can enjoy the upgrade it is always worth it.

    basic but functional - we love it.

    Yes, the laundry is already piling up... but I love my finished laundry room!

    Categories: General

    SHOWER TIME

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    Our kids are WIMPY. Lots of little things that shouldn’t be a big deal are a big deal. While out on our date night Ben and I decided that the boys should not be crying when water gets ‘near’ their eyes in the bathtub. Something had to change because they are wimpy bathers, don’t like to bathe and need to bathe more than once a week. So … our solution, a SHower CHart! We are into Potty Charts so this is good timing. If they fill up their Shower Chart then they will get a prize. A new Skylander! We presented the idea and they started. Packer worried about taking a shower all day but we finally got them in there – with their goggles on 🙂 and they LOVED IT. They loved taking showers! The goggles came right off and Packer ended up staying in to enjoy the water for quite a while! Benji was asking if he could take 2 showers tomorrow – he really wants to fill up his chart 🙂

    the new shower is perfect for the boys!

    Categories: Benji, Packer

    SHE WALKS

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    Rose took off this week! She walks. Still falls a lot but she walks by choice to get from point A to point B and she is getting better and better at it. All of our kids have waited until 15 months to start walking. MOst have enjoyed us coaxing them and making a big deal about walking to mom or dad and back and forth but Rose is just doing her thing. She doesn’t want our help. She does want a ball in hand or a blanket or bottle or at least to be walking towards a ball. It’s super fun to see her toddling around and falling and trying again. She is adorable right now.

    got my ball

    what a big girl - do I dare take away the pacifier?

    maybe I better get her off the bottle first

    looking tooooo grown up

    Categories: Rose

    look at that face

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    15 and a half month old crawls over to the cupboard, pulls out the bag of M&M’s and starts eating. She was so proud of herself. The look on her face was priceless. I just had to let her eat a few because it was too cute:

    Categories: Rose

    Mandarins

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    I love Oroville Mandarins! I am savoring the bag I brought home from Christmas, tempted to drive out there and get another round of them 🙂

    best mandarins ever!

    a quote from Packer Boy: “corndogs aren’t my favorite thing anymore. It’s mandarins!”

    Rose wanted to ride in this cart SOOO bad - 1/2 hour fit about it - she does not fit no matter how hard she tried.

    explaining to Rose that the shopping cart is only for dolls to ride in

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Rose was so mad that she couldn’t fit in Cali’s new “doll shopping cart”. Our grocery store has these exact ones so I think she really knows what they are and assumed that she should be riding in it. Very sad and funny all at once.

    Rose is following her big sisters example and teaching herself how to walk. Potty training and walking are 2 big items on my get done before baby comes list and both girls have decided to take it upon themselves to accomplish their assigned tasks. I have been very tired and worn out so I am feeling blessed that these things are coming about on their own. Rose can walk BUT only if she doesn’t know she is walking. She walks 90% better and more often if she is carrying a toy or ball. I think she’ll be a true walker sometime next week. For now we are trying to video these first steps and get so excited every time she does it. On a side note, Cali is doing really well on potty training. She still has not mastered it and I rarely let her wear her panties BUT she is super close and the fact that I can’t remember the last time I had to change her is a great sign for me.

    our cinderella showing off her latest potty prize

    I had a Dr. Appointment for baby Clyde today. All seems to be well. I am down to 24 days! I am starting to get anxious. Mostly because I am getting bigger and bigger which is more and more tiring and makes for a grumpy mom. I took Rose to the Dr with me because she was up all night needing me to hold her. She has bronchiolitis. Medicine has been started so hopefully tonight we will both get caught up on our sleep. I also had my first round of Braxton Hicks contractions. I have had 4 babies but never the fake contractions. That was kind of weird but also frustrating if they are just fake. More rest and drinking more water seem to have helped stop them. Well, this did start as a Mandarin post, definitely didn’t end up that way… must be late. I’m going to bed.

    Categories: Cali, General, Jana, Rose

    How my 3 year old (dec.6th) Potty Trained Herself

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    Ok – not 100% on her own but Cali took it upon herself to start using the toilet this week. On Monday she said she needed to sit on the toilet and she did several times but didn’t have any success. Then on Tuesday she woke up talking about going potty and she had a very successful day. Wednesday we set a timer and she went a lot with minor accidents. By Thursday she was going in and using the toilet all by herself.  She has an amazing ability to pee whenever she wants even if she just peed 10 minutes ago. Before knowing that trick I offered her a mermaid prize if she peed 3 times – she accomplished that quickly. When I put her to bed I told her that in the morning she could do 3 more pees on the toilet to get another prize. Well, she woke up at 8am and by 9:30am she had earned her prize!

    I had attempted Potty Training 2 or 3 times before this but she never had any success so I never pushed to hard. With the Holidays I decided we would wait and try after that. I was almost ready to make it happen but she has been with her 3 girl cousins that are all in different stages of potty trained and training so it rubbed off on her. I am excited to check this off the list of “Must Get Done’s Before Baby Comes”.

    the princess collection is growing and we have watched the "Little Mermaid" 2 days in a row 🙂

    Now we are working on filling up this chart for a final prize and hopefully she will be 'trained' in her toilet duties by then 🙂

    Categories: Cali

    Clyde

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    What is the ugliest boy name you can think of… well that is what we nicknamed our baby for his pre birth name and now it is sticking. I can’t think of a real name cause I feel like he is CLYDE. Packer can’t even fathom the idea of giving him a different name at this point and truthfully I am having a hard time also. We have been calling him Clyde for 4 months or so and I still recognize that it is an ugly name BUT it makes me think of this little guy that is growing inside of me and I kind of like it now.

    Anyway. I have ONE MORE MONTH of being pregnant! One month until we get to meet Clyde and give him a real name, one month of being large and uncomfortable and not being able to put on shoes. One more month to cherish the ‘easy’ life of only 4 kids. The joy of putting kids to bed at 8pm and knowing that none of them will need you again until the sun comes up. One month to hold Rose as much as possible and cherish that snuggle time that will be harder to come by once little brother comes. And One Month to get a lot of chores crossed off of my TO DO list.

    Here we go…

    Categories: General, Jana